
rT MEADE 
GenCoI1 











































































































































































































































They like to laugh and romp about the cloud mountains. 

From Rosebud’s Thanksgiving—Page 60. 













THL 

PUMPKIN PLOPLL 

By ETHEL OWEN 

* ,V 



PICTURED BY 
CONSTANCE EN5LOW 


ALBERT WHITMAN 0 COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


CHICAGO 


USA. 



THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 

Copyright, 1927 

By ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY 



“JUST RIGHT” CLASSICS 

Pied Piper of Hamelin 
King of the Golden River 
Man Without a Country 
Little Lame Prince 
Dog of Flanders 


* #> 'i 


“A JUST RIGHT BOOK” 
Printed in the U. S. A. 


©C1A10101S3 

0CT25’27 1 


INTRODUCTION 


The Pumpkin People is a collection of twelve stories dedi¬ 
cated particularly to the festive spirit of Thanksgiving Day 
and generally to any day of mirth and happiness—a book for 
children who love stories and parents who enjoy reading 
stories to their children. 

In it is an interesting account of what the Pumpkin People 
are and how the delicious pies that make Thanksgiving Day 
what it is are dependent on their care. 

A true account of the exciting woodland adventure of the 
squirrel family Umple-Umple-Umple and how the wicked 
wolf, Ramf-Ramf, almost deprived them of their happiness 
on that eventful day. 

There is also the history of a Thanksgiving Brownie and 
many other stories of equal interest in this delightful collec¬ 
tion of tales. 




CONTENTS 

Page 


The Pumpkin People. 9 

The Grown Down. 20 

Sam Squambo. 31 

The Curio Cabinet. 39 

The Thanksgiving Arbor. 49 

Rosebud’s Thanksgiving. 60 

The Thanksgiving Brownie. 70 

Thanksgiving Baskets . 79 

The Storm. 93 

Blessings Shared ...102 

Thanksgiving Acorns.112 

Cranberries for Thanksgiving. 122 
















He looked up at the wondrous sky. 
8 






























The Tumpkin Teople 


JLN back of Billy Ladd’s 
house there was a great 
field in which hundreds of 
pumpkins grew. 

Billy’s father was a farmer and owned 
acres and acres of land. But the field in 
which the pumpkins grew interested Billy 
most of all. 

Pumpkins reminded him of pie and now 
that Thanksgiving was coming he liked to 
think of all the good things that were in store 
for him. 

Billy was a little boy with a big imagination. 

%%%%%%%%% 



10 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


He often wondered what he would find if 
he searched all through the field of pumpkins. 
There was much of interest hidden there he 
was certain. 

Pumpkin-pie was so good there must be 
lots of good things in the pumpkin-field. 

One morning he set out to explore it. He 
told his mother where he was going. She was 
quite willing for she knew no harm could 
come to him in the pumpkin-field. 

She packed him a few sandwiches and gave 
him a piece of cake and some apples in case 
he became hungry. 

Billy felt very big and grown-up as he set 
off through the field. He thought of the de¬ 
licious lunch which he carried with him. The 
very thought of it made him hungry. Perhaps 
the cool bracing air also helped to increase 
his appetite. In any event he soon became so 
hungry that he could wait no longer. 














\ ' » • 
v v V » • 

* ** > ' A Vs 




Billy’s father was a 


farmer. 


* 


11 


v 



























12 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


He decided that he would sit down to eat. 

He drew the sandwiches and cake from his 
pockets. 

It was very quiet and restful in the field. 
The fragrance of pine came to him from the 
distant woods. 

He looked up at the wondrous sky in which 
a few white clouds floated. They looked like 
ships with white sails set floating on a big 
blue ocean. 

It was rather lonesome in the field. 

Billy was not afraid but he wished he had 
a companion with him. 

As the thought came to him he commenced 
gazing about. Of course there were no wolves 
or bears in the pumpkin-field. He was glad 
that he was not alone in a forest. A pumpkin- 
field was far less lonesome. 

As he looked about he suddenly spied a 
little man who was less than half a foot tall. 




THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


13 


He rubbed his eyes to see if he were 
dreaming. 

But when he looked again, the little man 
was still there. 

“Hello,” said Billy at last. “Who are you?” 

The little man laughed. “For that matter,” 
said he, “who are you?” 

His voice was low but surprisingly clear for 
one so tiny. 

“I asked you first,” said Billy. 

“So you did, so you did,” admitted the wee 
person. “Well, then, I am me.” 

Billy chuckled. He fell right in with the 
tiny man’s humor. 

“I am me, too,” he said. 

That pleased the odd little man very much. 

“You are a nice boy,” he said, “so I am 
going to tell you my right name. I could tell 
you a thousand wrong names and you would 
never know the difference. But my right 

%%%%%%%%% 


14 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


name is the one you are interested in, so you 
shall have it.” 

As he spoke he drew off his hat and bowed 
low, ”1 am, then, Jimmy Pumpkinseed. You 
have no doubt read of 

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-Eater 
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her. 

Well I am far worse than he for I am 
Jimmy, Jimmy, Pumpkin-Grower 
Had a wife and didn’t know her.” 

“You don’t mean to say,” gasped Billy, 
“that you don’t know your own wife?” 

“What is so strange about that?” asked 
Jimmy. “I don’t know her because I have 
never met her. I haven’t any wife yet, but 
some day I may have. Therefore I do not 
know my wife.” 

Billy laughed. “How funny you are,” he 
said. 

“Not at all,” argued Jimmy. “It would be 




THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


15 


far funnier if I did know the wife that I 
haven’t got.” 

“That is so,” admitted Billy, after thinking 
the matter over. “But please tell me more 
about yourself. Who you are, where do you 
live, what you are doing?” 

“I’ll answer the questions in order,” said 
the little man. “As I told you before, I am 
Jimmy Pumpkinseed. For want of a better 
place to live, I live in a pumpkin. And as to 
what I am doing, why I’m talking to you.” 

“Well,” persisted Billy, “when you are not 
talking to me, what are you doing?” 

“Why then,” said Jimmy drolly, “I am not 
talking to you. You answered the question 
yourself, if you had taken the time to notice 
it.” 

Billy could not help laughing. “I am not 
going to ask you any more questions,” he de¬ 
clared, “but I do wish you would let me know 
something about yourself.” 

%%%%%%%%% 


16 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“I will tell you everything,” said Jimmy. 
“I belong to the vast army of little people who 
are known as the Pumpkin People. Though 
why we should be called little I do not know. 
It is not we who are little. It is you who are 
big. It is our duty to scamper about the fields 
at night to see that the pumpkins are growing 
nicely. We are pumpkin experts. The farm¬ 
ers think they grow the pumpkins. But 
they do not. We do all the work. But few 
people know it for we are seldom seen. If you 
had not seen me accidentally I would have run 
off and hidden. But you spied me and you 
looked like a nice little boy so I decided I’d 
talk with you awhile.” 

“You mean,” broke in Billy, “that Pumpkin 
People live in every pumpkin-field?” 

“Certainly,” was the reply, “if they did not, 
how would the pumpkins grow so nicely? In 
the daytime we usually stay inside the pump- 



THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


17 


kins unless of course no one is about in the 
fields. Then we come out to run and dance 
and play games. For you must know all our 
work is done at night. Our lives are very 
happy and carefree even though we do much 
work. We get butter from the buttercups, 
milk from the milkweed and we are always 
protected by the dandelions.” 

The rest of the day was very delightful for 
Billy. Now he had found a little comrade 
that he hated to leave. 

Finally he told Jimmy that it was getting 
late and he would have to go home to supper. 

“But I want to see you tomorrow,” he said. 

Jimmy put his tongue in his cheek and 
looked very wise. 

“You may do so if you are good,” said he. 

From that day forth Billy underwent a 
complete change. He had always loved to 
tease people. And he had not liked to do the 

%%%%%%%%% 


18 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


little chores around the house which his 
mother gave him to do. But now everything 
was different. He was always willing and 
eager to work. He was kind to animals. He 
was thoughtful of his parents. 

And every day he went out to the pumpkin- 
field to visit Jimmy. 

Thanksgiving Day came at last. Billy was 
so busy that he was unable to visit his little 
friend until late in the afternoon. 

As he entered the field, he found Jimmy sit¬ 
ting on a sunflower, tailor fashion. 

“What do you think?” cried Jimmy. “Some¬ 
thing very bad has happened. Somebody has 
stolen my pumpkin. I’ve searched every¬ 
where for it, but it cannot be found. So today 
I must say good-bye to you. I must be off 
in quest of another pumpkin.” 

There were tears in Billy’s eyes as he bade 
Jimmy good-bye, for with a pang of remorse 




THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


19 


he remembered the big Thanksgiving dinner 
he had just finished eating. For dessert there 
had been a huge pumpkin-pie, and he had 
eaten three large portions of it. And every 
single portion had been a part of Jimmy’s 
house. 




The Qrown-Down 




ARY LEE lived on a 
farm in Indiana far away 
from any other house. The 
countryside all about was a 
broad level plain. Nowhere 
was there a mountain in 
sight. 

Sometimes great winds came from the far 
south and east that almost blew the little 
homestead away. On those days Mary used 
to hide in the cellar with her mother until the 
great winds had passed. 

Mary had no other children to play with. 
The nearest neighbor was four miles away. 


20 


THE GROWN-DOWN 


21 


So she had to play with her mother who had 
to make believe she too was a little girl. 

There was an old attic in the house way up 
under the eaves. It was very large and filled 
with all sorts of old boxes and trunks and odd 
bits of furniture. 

When it rained they played up there and 
what good times they had. 

They called it “The Land of Make-Believe.” 
Sometimes they played that they were Fairy 
Princesses and that the trunks and old 
boxes were filled with gold and precious 
jewels. 

At other times they stole up to the attic in 
the darkness of night. They did not light a 
lamp. Instead they threw open one of the 
windows and peered out at the wonderful blue 
of the sky. 

They always made a wish when they found 
the first star of the evening. 



22 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


They used to make believe that the sky was 
a great field of blue grass and that the stars 
were silver buttercups. 

It was lovely pretending. 

Sometimes they played hide-and-seek 
among the stars. 

Mary would say, “You do not know what 
star I am hiding behind.” 

And her mother would reply, “Yes, I think 
I do. You are in back of that great brilliant 
star over there.” 

Then Mary said with joy, “Wrong, I’m not 
behind a star at all. I am in the Great 
Dipper.” 

One day her mother piled a lot of boxes and 
trunks in the center of the attic. Over them 
she spread a big white sheet to represent snow. 

“It is a mountain,” she said, “and we’ll make 
believe we are travelers climbing the Alps.” 

But the game was not a great success be- 



THE GROWN-DOWN 


23 



It was lovely pretending. 

cause Mary had never seen a mountain and 
it was hard for her to pretend that she had. 

One morning at the breakfast table Mary’s 
mother said to her, “Have you ever seen a 
Grown-Down ?” 

“Never,” replied Mary. “What is a Grown- 
Down?” 



24 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“It would be easier to tell what a Grown- 
Down isn’t,” broke in her father. 

“Much easier,” said her mother as she 
handed her a plate of wheat-cakes. 

“But you haven’t told me what a Grown- 
Down is,” Mary persisted. 

“Well,” said her mother, “a Grown-Down 
is very much like a happy, pink little Brownie. 
A Brownie with a sunny disposition that 
makes everybody happy. It is also something 
like a good Fairy that plays in the woodland 
by the brook. It is also something like 
a flower. But there, I cannot describe it 
properly. However, it really isn’t necessary, 
because we are going to entertain one at din¬ 
ner on Thanksgiving Day.” 

“You mean that a real live Grown-Down is 
coming to this house?” 

“Yes,” answered her mother, “we are going 
to entertain one under this very roof. It will 



THE GROWN-DOWN 


25 



be, I hope, the nicest Thanksgiving we have 
ever had.” 

“It’ll be a party,” said Mary. 

“If you want it to be, yes,” agreed her 
mother. 

“And can I wear my best dress?” Mary 
asked. 

“Of course you can,” said her mother. 

What excitement there was in that house 
on Thanksgiving morning! Mary washed 



26 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


her face so hard it shone. Never had her 
hands received such a scrubbing. 

It would be wonderful to entertain a real 
Grown-Down. 

When at last she had her best dress on and 
went downstairs she was so starched and stiff 
she looked as though she had been laundered. 

The minutes that followed were very long. 

Mary sat on the porch with her father 
waiting for the Grown-Down to arrive. 

“It is late,” she said at last. 

“Never worry,” chuckled her father. “It’ll 
be here.” 

In the meantime her mother was bustling 
about in the kitchen and dining-room getting 
everything ready for the Thanksgiving party. 
She would not let Mary help her. Nor would 
she allow her to go near the dining-room. 

It was very hard to wait. 

The minutes dragged slowly by. 



THE GROWN-DOWN 


27 


“While we’re waiting,” began her father, 
“suppose I tell you a story about the daughter 
of a Grandfather’s Clock.” 

“What kind of a clock is that?” Mary asked. 

“An Aunty-tique Clock,” explained her 
father. 

But Mary was in no mood to listen to a 
story just then. She was on pins and needles 
or needles and pins. In fact she was on both. 

Would the Grown-Down never come? 

At last her mother came out on the porch. 
She did not seem at all worried that the guest 
of honor had not arrived. She sat with them 
for awhile enjoying the cool, crisp, fragrant 
breeze that blew across the fields. 

Then at last she rose to her feet. 

“Now you can come into the dining-room,” 
she said. 

Mary wanted to ask a hundred questions 
but she was speechless with excitement. 



28 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


Slowly she followed her mother and father. 

In the dining-room was the most delicious 
party-feast spread that any little girl ever saw. 
A big chocolate cake, candy, bonbons, snap¬ 
pers, nuts, not to mention roast turkey and 
mince pie. The table was trimmed with pink 
and yellow crepe paper. Never in her life had 
Mary seen anything like it. 

Finally, when she could get her breath, she 
said, “It is beautiful. I am so happy. But 
where is the guest of honor? Where is the 
Grown-Down ?” 

Her father winked at her. Then he took 
her by the hand and led her out into the hall. 

“Now close your eyes,” he directed, “and 
count one, two, three and then open them.” 

Mary did as directed. 

“One, two, three,” she counted. 

Then she opened her eyes to find herself 
gazing into a mirror. 




She found herself gazing into a mirror. 

29 


































































30 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“What do you see?” asked her father. 
“Only myself,” replied Mary. 

“Right,” declared her father. “You are the 
Grown-Down. Isn’t your mother a Grown- 
Up? And you are the little person like a 
Brownie, like a Fairy, like a flower for whom 
this party is given.” 



Sam Squambo 




Thanksgiving day 

was coming and Little Jack 


Is&m. SQusmbol)\ was very sad. He lived on a 


farm and that year the crops 
had been very poor. 


Jack wondered if his mother would be able 
to afford a turkey. He was very much wor¬ 
ried. 

It would be the first year they had not had 
a turkey. 

His mother was very brave about it, so he 
tried to be brave too. 

But one day he had a big surprise. 

His father had gone to town early in the 
morning. 




31 


32 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


It was almost dark before he returned. 
When he did he brought back a real live 
turkey. 

“So now,” said Jack’s mother, “we’ll have 
a turkey for Thanksgiving, after all.” 

“He is rather thin,” said his father, “but 
he’ll be nice and fat by Thanksgiving. It will 
be Jack’s special task to see that he gets his 
meals on time.” 

During the days that followed Jack spent 
almost all his time with that turkey. His 
father built a little house for it and fenced off 
a bit of the fields. 

It was not long before the turkey com¬ 
menced to grow big and plump. 

“It is the finest turkey I have ever seen,” 
Jack’s father declared. 

It was fun playing with the turkey and 
Jack became very fond of him. He named 
him Sam Squambo. 


SAM SQUAMBO 


33 



He brought back a real live turkey. 


The turkey seemed to like his name very 
much. He was very tame. And when Jack 
called him he always came right over to him. 

Jack even taught him to eat out of his hand. 

Next he permitted him to wander out of the 
enclosure which had been made for him. 

How Jack’s mother and father laughed as 
they beheld Sam Squambo following Jack 




34 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


around. He strutted about with his head 
erect as though he were a general. 

As Thanksgiving Day drew near Jack be¬ 
gan to feel very bad. 

He could not bear to think of eating Sam 
Squambo. 

He had grown to be a great pet. Jack loved 
him very much. 

One day Jack told his mother that he 
wanted to keep Sam Squambo always. 

His mother put her arm about him. 

“You make me very happy,” she said. “And 
what you have told me gives me an idea. I 
think it would be a lot of fun to give Sam 
Squambo a Thanksgiving dinner instead of 
making him give a dinner to us. Of course 
we would have to give up our feast but after 
all what would that matter?” 

Jack’s father readily consented when the 
plan to keep Sam Squambo was made known 
to him. 




SAM SQUAMBO 


35 


“We are going to give Sam a Thanksgiving 
dinner such as no other turkey ever had be¬ 
fore,” said Jack. 

Thanksgiving Day dawned at last. 

It was a lovely clear morning. 

Jack’s father did not work that day. 

“Would you like to take Sam Squambo for 
for a walk?” he asked. 

“If you will go with us,” replied Jack. 

So they set off across the fields toward a 
bit of a creek that wound like a ribbon of silver 
through the meadows. Sam Squambo strut¬ 
ted along beside them. He was very pompous. 

“If he knew,” laughed Jack’s father, “how 
near he came to being made into a dinner, I 
think he would be less conceited. But we 
won’t tell him. It might spoil his day.” 

When they arrived at the creek, they sat 
down on the grass. 

Sam Squambo went to the creek’s edge. 


36 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


He did not know what to make of it. He had 
never seen a creek before. 

He squawked and squawked but still the 
creek remained there. 

While Sam played at the creek’s edge Jack 
and his father chatted merrily. Before either 
of them realized it, it was noon time. 

“If we do not hurry,’’ said Jack’s father, 
“Sam will be late for his dinner.” 

And what a dinner that was! 

Jack’s mother came out from the house 
with a large box of corn. 

All about the box she had pasted pretty 
crepe paper. 

No sooner had she placed the box on the 
ground than Sam began to eat the corn. He 
ate and ate, seldom lifting his head. 

When he had finished, not a kernel of corn 
remained and he could scarcely walk so much 
had he eaten. 


wmmwmmwmi 



All about the box she had pasted pretty crepe paper. 


37 

























































38 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“Now,” said Jack’s mother, “we’ll see if we 
can find something for ourselves to eat.” 

As she spoke Jack realized that he was very 
hungry indeed. 

But greater than his hunger was his hap¬ 
piness, for he still had Sam Squambo to play 
with. 

As he entered the house he thought he was 
dreaming. It seemed as though he could 
smell roast turkey. But, of course, he did not 
say a word. 

The next minute he was in the dining-room. 

He rubbed his eyes. Surely he was dream¬ 
ing for the table was spread with all sorts of 
good things, potatoes and turnips and pies 
and cookies. In the center of the table was a 
large roast turkey. 

“What does it mean?” cried Jack. 

“It means,” said his mother softly, “that 
the things we give into the lives of others 
come back into our own.” 

Sam Squambo lived to a ripe old age and 
grew more pompous every day. 


' 


The Curio Cabinet 




ARION was a little 
girl who did not like to be 
disappointed. She had an 
aunt who lived in the city 
and sometimes her aunt used 
to invite Marion to come and visit her. Just 
before Thanksgiving a letter came from Aunt 
Alice asking if Marion could come and spend 
a week with her. Marion was very happy 
when her father and mother consented to her 
going. 

Thanksgiving was on Thursday and Ma¬ 
rion was to leave on Tuesday. On Monday 
night she was sitting in the living room with 


39 



40 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


her mother and father when a knock sounded 
at the door. Her father opened it and there 
stood a neighbor who lived about two miles 
away. 

“Good-evening,” he said. “I have come over 
to ask a favor of you. I have had an im¬ 
portant telegram calling me to the city. I 
will have to be gone about a week, and I won¬ 
der if I could bring the children to stay here 
while I am away.” Mr. Johnson had three 
children. 

“Of course you can bring them,” Marion’s 
father and mother both said at once. “We 
will enjoy having them. Why didn’t you 
bring them with you?” 

“I did,” Mr. Johnson confessed. “I thought 
you would say yes, and I am planning to catch 
the midnight train.” 

He went out and came back with the chil¬ 
dren, a dear little baby of three, a boy of five 


THE CURIO CABINET 


41 


and a girl of seven. Marion loved children 
and she began to romp with the baby as soon 
as she had taken off her hat and coat. She 
played with the children until bedtime and 
then went to her own room to put a few last 
things in her bag. 

Her father entered the room and put his 
arm about her as he said, “Would it be very 
much of a disappointment to my little girl to 
give up her trip to Aunt Alice’s for this time? 
Mother is going to have her hands full with 
the children and I think it would be rather nice 
for my little Marion to stay home and help 
her.” 

“Spoil my Thanksgiving for a lot of chil¬ 
dren,” Marion cried out. “Oh, father, how 
can you ask it?” 

Her father’s voice was very quiet as he 
said, “No, dear, I am not asking you to spoil 
your good time for the children. I’m asking 


42 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


you to postpone your trip just to help mother. 
But if it is going to be such a big disappoint¬ 
ment I will not ask you to do it.” He kissed 
her goodnight and walked away. 

Later, her mother came in to kiss her good¬ 
night, and as she patted Marion’s cheek, she 
said, “I’m going to miss my little girl.” 

Marion snuggled down into her bed. She 
seemed to hear an echo of her father’s words, 
“Just to help mother. Just to help mother.” 
And suddenly that seemed to her the most 
important thing to do. She would probably 
get a chance for other trips, but this was a 
real chance to help mother by giving up 
something herself. And she thought of how 
very few were the times she did that. 

When she entered the kitchen the next 
morning her mother looked up from the prep¬ 
arations for breakfast and said, “All ready, 
dear?” 


THE CURIO CABINET 


43 


“I’m not going, mother,” Marion answered. 
“I think I’ll rather enjoy staying home and 
helping you with the children.” 

“Marion, you dear child,” her mother said 
as she came over and put her arms about her. 
“I don’t want you to give up your trip.” 

“It is already given up,” said Marion smil¬ 
ingly. “Father has gone to send a telegram to 
Aunt Alice to let her know I am not coming. 
You will need help, mother, to get ready for 
Thanksgiving. You know there are quite a 
few mouths to feed just now.” 

They had a fine time for the next two days 
preparing for Thanksgiving. Every single 
one of the Johnson children, even the baby, 
helped to seed raisins, crack nuts and num¬ 
berless other things, and Marion’s mother 
gave them little samples of the good things 
she was making. 

Thanksgiving eve it snowed and the next 


44 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


morning Marion took the children outdoors. 
They had a great time building a snow man 
and throwing snowballs at each other. They 
were having such an exciting time that they 
did not notice a sleigh stop until a man called 
out: 

“Can anyone tell me where I can find the 
Johnson family? Their house is closed up.” 

Laurel, the seven-year-old Johnson, made a 
dash in the direction of the voice and was 
lifted up into the stranger’s arms. 

“So you remember me, Laurel?” he asked. 

“I do,” Laurel answered proudly. “I’ve 
got the doll yet that you brought me from 
Japan.” 

“It must be quite a big doll by this time,” 
the man said, “if it has grown as fast as you 
have.” 

“I’m seven,” Laurel answered gravely. 
“And this is Betty and this is Tommy. Father 

it it 4 *^ 4* 4k 



C.E. 


They had a great time building a snow man. 

45 















46 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


is away and we are staying here at Marion’s 
house.” 

They took him into the house. Marion’s 
mother and father knew him, and his odd 
looking trunk was soon placed in the hall, and 
he was told to make himself at home until 
his brother’s return. Uncle Tom’s business 
took him to foreign countries, but occasionally 
he took a vacation to visit his brother. 

They had a wonderful Thanksgiving din¬ 
ner and Uncle Tom told them stories and 
promised to open his trunk after dinner and 
give the children the presents he had brought. 
They were fascinated with the quaint toys 
and dolls and were soon absorbed in their 
treasures. Finally he turned to Marion and 
said: 

“And now I must see what I have for the 
little girl who gave up her own holiday trip 
for the sake of others. Laurel told me you 

4* 4t 4^ 4t4k 4* "sfc ^ 


THE CURIO CABINET 


47 



were going away but stayed home just be¬ 
cause they came.” 

Marion tried to make him understand that 
it was nothing. That she had wanted to do 
it. He looked at her with a twinkle in his 
eye and said: 

“I was a boy once. I know what disap¬ 
pointment is.” 

He turned to his trunk and took out a quaint 
little cabinet. He told her that it had been 
carved by a little boy in a far-off country who 
was trying to earn money in this way to go 


48 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


to school. He had interested some people in 
the little lad and had done what he could to 
help him sell his wares. And he told Marion 
how, when he had tried to pay the little fellow 
for that particular cabinet, that he had said, 
“You have been my friend. For that you can¬ 
not pay.” 

Uncle Tom placed the cabinet in Marion’s 
hands and said, “What was given to me be¬ 
cause I was a friend, I give to you because you 
have proved to be a friend.” 



The Thanksgiving oArbor 




ONALD and Dorothy 
King paused in the act of 
eating their morning corn 
flakes and cream as their 
father turned his twinkling 
gaze in their direction. They knew from ex¬ 
perience that whenever Father King smiled in 
just that sort of way he was generally about 
to say something they would like to hear. 

“Well, children,” he began, “how would 
you like to go down to the country and spend 
a week with Grandmother and Grandfather 
King? Thanksgiving Day is coming and 
mother and I will come in time for the 


£ c 't ffl i it 


49 



50 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


Thanksgiving dinner. But you two children 
are invited to stay a whole week.” 

“Like to!” Dorothy exclaimed. “We would 
just love to.” She turned to her mother, 
“You will let us go, won’t you?” 

Donald, who was inclined to be rather 
serious and dreamy, did not say a word, but 
the look in his eyes showed how much he 
wanted to go. 

“What would happen if I said ‘No?’ ” 
Mother King’s smile showed, however, that 
she had no intention of saying it. 

“You would break our hearts,” Dorothy 
cried. 

“Hearts don’t break so easily, Dot,” Donald 
replied. “Of course we want to go, but it is 
up to mother and father to let us.” 

“And I guess you won’t have to coax very 
much,” Father King laughed. “Grandmother 
and Grandfather would be just as dis- 

li 



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Well, children, how would you like to go down to the country?” 


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51 
























































52 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


appointed as you if we did not let you go. 
Mother and I will be glad of the chance to 
have a little peace from two such wild Indians. 
Perhaps by Thanksgiving you will be quite 
subdued.” 

Dorothy laughed. “I am noisy, I know. 
But Donald is about the quietest boy outside 
of a book. I ought to have been the boy. We 
are about as different as day and night. But 
we are great chums all the same. We sort of 
rest each other, I guess. I get tired of myself 
being too lively, and he gets tired of himself 
because he is so quiet. But you know very 
well, Father and Mother King, that you will 
miss us.” 

Mother laughed. “In other words you think 
we will appreciate our two blessings more if 
we let someone else have them for a while. 
Well, in view of the fact that it is your Grand¬ 
mother and Grandfather who want you we 

a t 't ffi t a i 


THE THANKSGIVING ARBOR 


53 


will have to let you go. But hurry up and 
finish breakfast. If I have to get two children 
ready to go away I will have to start right in 
and hustle.” 

“And if I don’t go to work and earn the 
railroad fare for you to go,” Father King said, 
“I will have two forlorn, disappointed young¬ 
sters on my hands.” 

He kissed all three and hurried off. 

For the next few days Dorothy was a first 
class assistant to her mother. Mother King 
remarked to, father that if anticipation made 
Dorothy such a wonderful little helper she 
hoped she would get invitations often. 
Father King laughed and answered, “Dorothy 
hasn’t struck her balance yet. When she does 
she is going to be the best ever. She is just 
a sort of will-o-the-wisp now.” 

Before they realized it they were on the 
train speeding to the little town where their 

\ 2 . 1 


54 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


grandparents lived. Then they were at the 
station and there was Grandmother and 
Grandfather waiting in the little old car that 
had given them such good service for so 
many years. Grandfather tucked them up in 
the soft, fuzzy robe in the back seat, and then 
let Donald get out again when he saw that he 
wanted to ride in front. Grandmother got in 
the back and snuggled Dorothy up to her and 
they were off. 

Donald loved the way Grandfather drove. 
He was so sure and confident. He thought 
how funny it looked to see the long straight 
road winding itself up under the little car. 
He could hear Dorothy chatting to Grand¬ 
mother and he wondered why Dot always 
wanted to talk. It was so much nicer just to 
sit and look and enjoy everything. 

Soon they were at the house. A charming 
little new bungalow, all corners and windows 

£ £ -df flJ %. 2 & 


THE THANKSGIVING ARBOR 


55 


and brightness, with the cutest little garage 
that Dorothy declared looked just like a play¬ 
house. Hats and coats came off, and the next 
moment the children were running investi¬ 
gating every corner of the house, for they had 
not seen it before. 

“What lovely things you have all round, 
Grandmother,” Dorothy exclaimed. “You 
didn’t have all these in your other house.” 

“A lot of them were packed away in the 
attic then,” Grandmother explained. “When 
we moved we went through our things and 
put some of our treasures out.” 

Dorothy was enchanted when she found 
that there were two dear little cozy rooms just 
for her and Donald. She was delighted with 
the dainty cretonne draperies. 

“Look, Don,” she called, “isn’t it all too 
lovely?” 

But Donald did not hear. He was too much 

if 2 % 


56 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


interested in his own domain with its soft 
buff walls and transparent gold draperies. 
The sturdy bookcase, which Grandfather 
built himself, made an especial appeal to him. 

They went into Grandmother’s cozy room 
to talk. Dorothy spied what appeared to be a 
small arbor twined with little paper autumn 
leaves and blossoms. It stood in a lovely long 
flower box in the window. 

“Oh, Grandmother, how cute,” she cried. 
“Where did you get it?” She went over and 
touched it. “Why, the leaves are all firm!” 
she exclaimed in surprise. 

“If they were not, dear,” Grandmother 
answered, “my little arbor of Thanksgiving 
would have fallen to pieces long ago. Those 
leaves and blossoms are only paper and they 
were made years ago. Grandfather dipped 
them in some sort of wax and preserved them 
for me. That little arbor means a lot to me, 


THE THANKSGIVING ARBOR 


57 



So you see my little arbor has grown in beauty. 

as every leaf and blossom added has been a 
symbol of something I had to be especially 
thankful for. So you see my little arbor has 
grown in beauty because I have kept it to re¬ 
mind me of all the lovely things that have 
come to me through life.” 

“How quaint.” Dorothy looked intensely 
interested. “I never would have thought of 

£*'*(!) lit 



58 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


such a beautiful idea. I guess we rather take 
everything for granted and don’t think much 
about what we have to be thankful for, except 
maybe at Thanksgiving time.” 

“But do you ever think, dears,” Grand¬ 
mother asked, “that all the year time is 
Thanksgiving time? That every time some¬ 
thing happens to us for such we should give 
thanks.” 

“I like that idea,” Donald said slowly. 
“Dorothy, let’s start Arbors of Thanksgiving 
for ourselves. Grandfather will teach me to 
make the frames and Grandmother can teach 
you to make the leaves and blossoms.” 

Dorothy clapped her hands in delight. 
“And the first leaves and blossoms of thanks 
will be for having such wonderful grandpar¬ 
ents and being here with them for Thanks¬ 
giving.” 

“And some day,” Grandfather smiled, “you 

£ *'t ffi » > i 


THE THANKSGIVING ARBOR 


59 


will have beautiful arbors like Grandmother’s 
to remind you of all the beautiful happy times 
that have come to you.” 



Rosebud’s Thanksgiving 




HE clouds that 
loom up to meet the sun 
are a secret beautiful 
kingdom. It is called 
Cloudland. 

The great white cloud peaks are really gold 
and silver mountains. The faint blue sha¬ 
dows between are long blue rivers that wind 
in and out through the mountains. 

Hidden among the mountains are the won¬ 
drous homes of the Cloud People. Oh, how 
happy and joyous they are. They like to 
laugh and romp about the cloud mountains 
and they love to run in the wind. They run 


60 




ROSEBUD’S THANKSGIVING 


61 



When the cold North Wind shrieks. 


so fast that their feet scarcely seem to touch 
the ground. It is almost as if they are flying. 

It is very quiet and still in Cloudland. Only 
the wind rushing over the mountains breaks 
the spell of the golden silence. When he 
roars over the silver peaks, the Cloud People 
stay indoors. 

When he roars very loudly the very peaks 
turn gray. For they do not glow as happily 
when the cold North Wind shrieks about so 
violently. 

But when the wind has passed the spell of 
the golden silence returns. The golden silver 
peaks grow warm because they are kissed by 
the sun. 










62 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


The voices of the Cloud People are very 
soft. Even their laughter is like silver bells. 

The Cloud People never grow old unless 
they wish to. Most of them are always young 
because they are always happy. 

Now in the mountain stillness there lived 
a lovely Princess. Her name was Rosebud. 
And it was an appropriate name for she was 
always smiling. 

She was rather small and slender, so tiny 
that a puff of wind might have blown her 
away. Her hair was like spun gold. Her 
cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled like 
diamonds. Every one loved her, poor and rich 
alike. 

Even the flowers of the field bent toward 
her as she passed. For she was like a flower 
also. 

The tiny birds of the wood never flew away 
at her approach. They even came down from 








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Every one loved her. 

63 

































64 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


the treetops and perched upon her shoulders. 

The squirrels and rabbits and chipmunks 
came and ate from her hand. 

Even the stern North Wind blew less 
violently as he passed her. The sun glowed 
more warmly and the stars twinkled more 
merrily. 

Rosebud was a little Princess but the odd 
thing about her was that she had no King¬ 
dom. She was very poor. 

She dwelt in a tiny house smaller than that 
of “The Old-Woman-Who-Lived-in-a-Shoe.” 
With her lived her aunt who was so old she 
slept the whole day long. 

Had it not been for the flowers, the birds 
and the little woodland animals, Rosebud 
would have been very lonesome. But they 
were all her friends. A little girl with so 
many friends simply could not be lonesome. 

On Thanksgiving morning Rosebud was 






ROSEBUD’S THANKSGIVING 


65 



When her old aunt was asleep. 

very sad. She had no good things to eat, no 
turkey, no pudding, no cranberry-sauce. 

But she did not complain. In spite of 
everything she smiled. When her old aunt 
was asleep she went for a walk in the woods 
and there she met a group of children she 
knew. 

“Come with us,” they cried. “We are going 
to have a Thanksgiving picnic. We have bas¬ 
kets of lunch, strawberry tarts, turkey sand¬ 
wiches, cake and fruit. We will have a won¬ 
derful time playing in the fields.” 

Rosebud was very happy. She liked to pic¬ 
nic very much. It would be a perfect Thanks¬ 
giving after all. So the little band of children 
continued down the road. 





66 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


Soon they came to an old woman who sat 
all alone on a rock by the roadside. She was 
swaying from side to side. 

“What is the matter?” asked Rosebud as 
she stopped beside the old lady. 

“I am not well,” was the reply, “and I am 
afraid that I am too weak to get back to my 
home alone.” 

“I will help you,” said Rosebud quickly. 

She did not stop to think that in order to 
help the old woman she would have to stay 
away from the Thanksgiving picnic. 

The other children continued onward 
down the road. They called to her but she 
did not follow. Soon they rounded a bend in 
the road and Rosebud was left alone with 
the old lady. 

She held out her strong young arms. 

“Lean on me,” she said. 

Thus, together they returned to the old 
lady’s home. 






ROSEBUD’S THANKSGIVING 


67 


Rosebud was surprised that her companion 
recovered so quickly. As they walked she 
seldom leaned on her arm at all. 

Rosebud imagined that the old lady was 
very poor. It was therefore a surprise to her 
when her companion stopped before a great 
house. 

Together they walked through a lovely 
garden up to the great front door. 

A servant held the door open as they 
passed in. 

The rooms were all very beautiful. They 
glowed as though they were lighted by the 
sun. 

The old lady led the way to the dining¬ 
room in which a great Thanksgiving feast 
was spread. All the dishes glistened like 
diamonds. 

Rosebud turned to her companion. To her 
surprise she found that she was old no longer. 


L 




68 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


She was very young. Her hair was glisten¬ 
ing gold. Her eyes were bright and her lips 
were smiling. 

When she noticed Rosebud’s surprise, she 
said, “I am the Queen of the Sun. I sat all 
alone by the wayside disguised as an old 
woman. I wished to see who would stop to 
help me. Then you came. You gave up your 
pleasure for me. And now I will reward 
you.” 

She led the way to a great door. 

At her touch it swung open. Within was 
a great room filled with glistening dust. It 
shimmered and gleamed and glowed in a daz¬ 
zling manner. 

“What is that?” gasped Rosebud. 

“It is the gold of sunbeams,” replied the 
Queen, “and it is of great worth. All of it 
is yours to do with as you wish.” 

Rosebud was speechless for a moment, then 





ROSEBUD’S THANKSGIVING 


69 


she said, “Scatter it down over the earth so 
all the poor children may glory in it.” 

The Sun-Queen did as Rosebud wished. 

And the sunbeams poured down over the 
earth in a lovely golden flood. The flowers 
lifted their heads and bloomed more beauti¬ 
fully. 

The children laughed gayly as they held 
out their arms to the sun. Even unto the tene¬ 
ments the sunbeams penetrated. 

They spread like a golden carpet over the 
poor streets, making dream streets of them. 

Then the Sun-Queen turned to Rosebud. 

“You are a little Princess of Happiness,” 
she said, “for you have learned that the only 
way to keep the Treasure Gold of Joy is to 
share it with others.” 







The Thanksgiving brownie 



INNER was just over 
in the Fenton house. 
And little Evelyn 
Fenton had slipped 
quietly out of the din¬ 
ing room and into the 
living room, paying 


no attention to her sister’s question, “Evelyn, 
are you not going to help me with the dishes?” 

She had received a book of wonderful fairy 
tales only that afternoon from her aunt in 
the city and she was very anxious to read 
them all. She stretched herself at full length 
on the hearthrug in front of the open fire¬ 
place, propped herself up on her elbows, the 


X X X X X X X 


70 



She heard a laugh. 


71 




























































72 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


book in front of her, and started in to read. 

She had been there for quite some time 
when all of a sudden she heard a laugh. It 
was such a tiny laugh and so elfish that for a 
moment she didn’t know where it had come 
from. She looked up and there perched on 
top of one of the old-fashioned andirons she 
saw the cutest, most roguish looking little 
Brownie imaginable. He was dressed in 
brown but had on a saucy orange necktie and 
a little cap of the same color. 

“Where did you come from?” Evelyn asked 
in surprise. “Why, you look just like one of 
the little Brownies pictured in my fairy book. 
But I really didn’t know there were any real 
live Brownies.” 

The Brownie tossed his head and replied, 
“There are lots of things little girls like you 
do not know. If there were not, then there 
would not be any work for myself and my 

JUUUULIi 


THE THANKSGIVING BROWNIE 


73 



“I am the Thanksgiving Brownie.” 


brother Brownies to do. Little girls like you 
keep us busy.” 

Evelyn laughed. “My goodness,” she said, 
“what work have I ever given you to do? I 
did not even know of your existence until just 
this minute.” 

“That is why I had to come,” the Brownie 
went on. “Just because you did not know 
about me. I am the Thanksgiving Brownie.” 

“Oh,” Evelyn exclaimed, “and I suppose 
you are here now because it is so near Thanks- 

JULJUUULi 


74 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


giving. But what has that got to do with 
me?” 

“Thanksgiving is only two days off and 
what are you doing to help your mother get 
ready for it?” The Brownie pointed a small 
finger at Evelyn as he asked the question. He 
did it so quickly that she fairly jumped. “Your 
mother has invited all your aunts and uncles 
and cousins to come here for Thanksgiving 
Day and you will have a wonderful time, but 
what are you doing to help?” 

“This book is so fascinating,” Evelyn ex¬ 
plained, “that I just wanted to read a few of 
the stories.” She was beginning to feel a little 
bit ashamed of her selfishness when the 
Brownie said: 

“Your sister, Irene, received a book from 
your aunt, too, and she likes to read. But she 
is washing dishes so your mother can prepare 
the cakes and pies that she has to bake for 

JLl JL j!» jIi JL JLl JL 


THE THANKSGIVING BROWNIE 


75 



“She likes to cook.” 


Thanksgiving. And your mother has put 
away the novel that was sent to her because, 
much as she likes to read, she knows she will 
not have time for it until after Thanksgiving 
is over.” 

“But mother is singing,” Evelyn went on, 


JL1X jii i 1 i 






76 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“she likes to cook and prepare things for us 
all.” 

The Brownie pushed his cap to one side of 
his head and shrugged his shoulders, 

“Your mother likes to make people happy, 
that’s why she is singing over her work. She 
just keeps before her a picture of the happy 
faces that will be sitting around the table 
Thanksgiving Day and enjoying her cakes 
and pies and good things. Mothers are very 
unselfish people. And they don’t let every¬ 
body know how unselfish they are. Little 
girls like you don’t always appreciate their 
mothers.” 

“I do appreciate my mother,” Evelyn pro¬ 
tested. 

“Of course you do,” the Brownie teased, 
“that’s why you would rather read fairy 
stories than help her now when she is so busy. 
If anybody should ask my opinion, I would 

lllllLl 


THE THANKSGIVING BROWNIE 


77 


say that little girls that do not help their 
mothers should be fed with bread and milk 
on Thanksgiving Day.” 

Evelyn hardly knew what to say next. She 
knew the Brownie was right but she did not 
want even a tiny little Brownie to believe she 
was really so selfish and thoughtless as 
this little Thanksgiving Brownie evidently 
thought her. 

She was trying hard to think of something 
that would change the Brownie’s opinion of 
her when she heard another laugh. This time 
it was a big hearty laugh, just like her father’s 
and the next minute she felt a hand on her 
head and heard a voice say: 

“Your book must be very interesting, child, 
for you fell asleep on top of the picture of that 
nice, fat, cheerful-looking little Brownie.” 

Evelyn sat up and rubbed her eyes and 
looked at the andiron. There was nothing 

lllLLIL 


78 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


there but the lovely polished surface. Then 
she looked down at her book. And there was 
a picture of the little Thanksgiving Brownie 
that she had talked with. As Evelyn looked 
at the picture she was almost sure the Brownie 
winked at her. 

“I did not mean to fall asleep,” she said, 
looking right at the pictured Brownie, “and 
now I am going to close up this book and put 
it away until after Thanksgiving because I am 
going to be very busy from now on helping 
mother.” 


i) 


'Thanksgiving baskets 



OTHER always 
knew when the twins 
reached home from school 
for she would hear the two 
pairs of feet dash up the 
steps of the house and then 
would come three quick rings at the bell. A 
few days before Thanksgiving, when their 
mother opened the door for them, they almost 
tumbled breathlessly in. The twins were an 
enthusiastic pair. Always very much in earn¬ 
est, and generally when they had anything 

t 


79 






80 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


to tell it was usually a race to see who would 
speak first. This time Justine was the first to 
speak. 

“Mother,” she began, “teacher has asked 
us to bring to school tomorrow some good 
things to eat for the Thanksgiving baskets 
which are being fixed up for the poor folks.” 

“There will be a great many baskets,” John 
went on, “and all the children in the school are 
to ask their mothers to give them things to 
take to school tomorrow so that the baskets 
can be fixed up and delivered in plenty of time 
on Thanksgiving eve to make folks happy.” 

“What can we have to take, mother?” Jus¬ 
tine asked. 

Mother smiled. She liked to see her chil¬ 
dren take an interest in things that were be¬ 
ing done for others. 

“How would you like to get a basket and 
fill it with all the good things for a Thanks- 





THANKSGIVING BASKETS 


81 


giving dinner and take it to school as a gift 
from you and John?” Mother asked. 

“Oh, that would be fine,” Justine clapped 
her hands. “Can we go to the store now, 
mother, and get the things?” 

“But, mother,” John looked up very ear¬ 
nestly into his mother’s face, “if the basket 
is to be a gift from Justine and me, I think 
we ought to pay for part of it. Suppose we 
open our banks, Justine, and divide our money 
in half and use half of it to buy things for the 
Thanksgiving basket.” 

Justine’s generous little heart immediately 
responded to John’s suggestion and soon the 
children were busy counting up their savings. 

Then mother took them to the store and 
they bought all the good things that go to 
make up a real substantial dinner. Justine 
declared that the chicken they bought looked 
just exactly like a small turkey and they were 



EBB 






82 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


quite sure that the folks getting that basket 
would enjoy it. 

The next day after school, mother asked 
them if they would go a few blocks away and 
take a letter to old Mrs. Keen for her. Mrs. 
Keen lived all by herself, and mother thought 
it would be rather nice to ask her to come 
and spend Thanksgiving with them. 

“Oh, mother,” Justine cried in dismay, “do 
we have to have her? I have never been in 
her house, but I have seen her at the store 
and she is always so cross to the man who 
waits on her. I always stay as far away from 
her as I possibly can. She will spoil Thanks¬ 
giving for us.” 

“She is just a lonesome old lady,” mother 
replied. “I don’t know her very well myself, 
but this summer her only son went way off 
to China on business and he will be gone for 



mm 


4 # 




/ 




They were quite sure that the folks getting that basket would enjoy it. 


83 


























84 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


several years. Think how lonesome it will be 
for her to spend Thanksgiving all by herself.” 

“Come on, Justine,” John said, “of course, 
we’ll take mother’s letter.” 

As they approached Mrs. Keen’s house the 
twins looked at each other and then timidly 
rang the bell. Not three wild rings the way 
they rang their own bell. But just a little tiny 
ring so faint that Mrs. Keen didn’t hear it. 

“She won’t open the door for us,” Justine 
whispered. “She is home because I can see her 
moving about inside.” 

“Guess she doesn’t want to be bothered 
with children,” John suggested, “and she 
doesn’t know what we came for. We had 
better ring once more.” And this time John 
rang. A firm little ring. And Mrs. Keen 
heard it and came to the door. 

“How do you do, children?” she said pleas¬ 
antly, “Come right in.” 



mm 






THANKSGIVING BASKETS 


85 


“We just brought a note from mother,” 
Justine said bravely. 

“There’s an answer,” John continued, as . 
the twins followed Mrs. Keen into the tiny 
sitting room. 

He watched Mrs. Keen as she was reading 
mother’s letter and he decided that she wasn’t 
a bit cross looking. Perhaps it was the fault 
of the clerk at the store. He might have made 
her cross. 

“How lovely of your mother to ask a lone¬ 
some old lady like me to join you all on your 
Thanksgiving Day,” Mrs. Keen smiled. “I 
wish I could come, but I am afraid I will not 
be able to.” 

The twins did not exactly know why, but 
suddenly they both wanted Mrs. Keen to 
come and both said at once, “We will be so 
disappointed if you don’t come.” 

Mrs. Keen laughed and put an arm about 



mrm ©) 

i 






86 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


each twin and said, “Wait until I get you 
some cookies and milk and then I will tele¬ 
phone your mother.” 

When she came back she said, “It is all 
right, children, I am coming to your house 
for dinner and then your mother has promised 
that you can all come to my house for I have 
to be on hand at three o’clock for a party I am 
giving. And I am going to ask you all to help 
me. 

They had a wonderful Thanksgiving din¬ 
ner and Mrs. Keen told them who was com¬ 
ing to her Thanksgiving Party. “For years,” 
she said, “my son and I have always had an 
afternoon Thanksgiving Party for twelve 
poor little children. We have always tried to 
give them a real party, with games and favors 
and everything. Of course, this year I am 
all alone and I have had to do everything my¬ 
self, but now I will have all you wonderful 



mm 






THANKSGIVING BASKETS 


87 


people to help me and make the children 
happy.” 

So they went to Mrs. Keen’s house and 
soon Father was standing on a ladder string¬ 
ing pumpkin lanterns all over the room. Mrs. 
Keen took the children into the kitchen and 
showed them a table on which were lovely 
chocolate turkeys, candies made to look like 
miniature fruit, little cookies with wonderful 
frostings on, salted nuts, and old fashioned 
sticks of candy and lollipops. She then 
brought a big tray on which were the loveliest 
little crepe paper baskets imaginable. She 
had made them all herself. 

“I want each of my poor little children to 
have a Thanksgiving basket all his own,” she 
said. “Their families have had family bas¬ 
kets given to them with all the necessary din¬ 
ner things, and these are just children’s bas¬ 
kets.” 







88 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“Aren’t they lovely?” Justine said breath¬ 
lessly. 

“The children will love them,” John said. 
“Poor children or rich children would be glad 
to have a basket like that.” 

“And you and Justine are to fill them for 
me,” Mrs. Keen said. “Arrange them just as 
you want to. There are enough goodies to 
fill them full.” 

The twins had a wonderful time filling those 
baskets. 

“My mouth is fairly watering for one of 
those cookies,” Justine whispered to John, 
“but I wouldn’t take one.” 

Then the children came. And what a great 
time they had. Father made believe he was 
a ventriloquist and threw his voice to all parts 
of the room and the children laughed as 
though they did not have a care in the world. 
Justine and John played some of their school 
games with them. 


»f|| *g|| *rg|g *gjj *g|| 




89 




90 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


When they went into the dining room for 
the party supper the cries of delight over 
the baskets were enough to make Mrs. Keen 
feel well repaid for all her work. And when 
Justine and John found that there were bas¬ 
kets for them and even for mother and father 
they hardly knew how to express their happi¬ 
ness. 

The children gathered about Mrs. Keen at 
parting as though they hated to leave her. 
She had made them so happy. And they 
thanked Justine and John and their mother 
and father. When they found that they were 
going to be taken home in Father’s shiny new 
automobile they felt that their cups of happi¬ 
ness were full. John went with Father when 
he took the first load of children, and Justine 
went with the second, and it made them feel 
happier than ever to see the beaming faces of 
the little guests. 



mm 

i 


-fL'dr 




THANKSGIVING BASKETS 


91 


When they reached home they all sat about 
the fire for a little while and Justine said: 

“This has been one of the most wonderful 
Thanksgiving Days we have ever had.” 

“Yes,” John said, “and we have learned a 
lot, too. You thought Mrs. Keen was a cross 
old lady. And she has a mother heart big 
enough to take in everybody. I love her.” 

“So do I,” Justine nodded, “just shows you 
have to know people to really appreciate them. 
I am going to try never to say anything about 
anyone again unless I know it is true. Look 
at all the people that are happy tonight be¬ 
cause of Mrs. Keen.” 

Mother and father looked at each other and 
smiled. 

“There are some folks happy today because 
of a pair of twins we know, too,” mother said. 
“One reason our dear little twins had such a 



mm 


itilk 




92 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


happy Thanksgiving is because they have 
done so much to make others happy.” 

“We didn’t do much,” they both exclaimed. 

“In making others happy you have made 
yourselves happy, too,” father explained, “and 
mother and I hope that in all the years to come 
you will find true happiness in the same way.” 



The Storm 



AVID Ross and 
Mary Carl were very good 
friends. He thought she was 
the prettiest little girl in the 
school. David always carried 
Mary’s books home from school for her. Mary 
had lots of friends in school but lunch time 
always found her in the company of the chil¬ 
dren whose lunch boxes did not contain such 
good things as hers did. It was surprising 
what big lunches Mary carried for such a lit¬ 
tle girl. 

One day when David was teasing her about 

f f f f i i f f i 


93 



94 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


her big appetite, she laughed and said, “Don’t 
you think everything that is shared in this 
world is enjoyed much more than the things 
we keep only for ourselves?” And David had 
to admit she was right. He always enjoyed 
things more when he shared with Mary. 

On the way home from school they used to 
plan what they would do when they grew up. 
Mary would laugh and say, “Doesn’t growing 
up seem a long way off?” 

Miss Gray was their teacher and all the 
children loved her. They studied hard just 
to win her smile of approval. Very often on 
Saturdays they would go for walks in the 
woods with Miss Gray. David and Mary 
went frequently with her on long tramps. 

The day before Thanksgiving the three of 
them planned to go to the woods for ferns. 
But at the last minute David could not go. 
His father had a lot of errands to do in town 

f f f f if f ft 


THE STORM 


95 




It was surprising what big lunches Mary carried. 


and needed David’s help. So Mary and Miss 
Gray went alone. 

David noticed when he came out of a store 
that the sun had ceased to shine. It was as 
though a dark curtain had been drawn across 
its brightness. His first thought was of Mary 
and Miss Gray. Had they reached home, or 
were they still in the woods? The wind be¬ 
gan to blow hard. David got so white that 

f f f n t f u 



96 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


his father said, “What’s the matter, boy? 
You are not afraid of a storm, I know.” 

“It’s Mary,” David choked over the words, 
“and Miss Gray. They went to the woods. 
I am worried because they may not have 
reached home.” 

David’s father looked thoughtful. “Were 
they planning to go far?” he asked. 

“They were going to look for ferns,” David 
replied, “and when you are looking for good 
specimens you forget yourself.” 

“We will start for home right away,” his 
father said. 

In the meanwhile Mary and Miss Gray, 
absorbed in their hunt for ferns, were startled 
by the sudden darkness. There was a queer 
sound to the wind as it rustled the branches 
and bent some of the slender trees. 

“It is going to storm, Mary,” Miss Gray 
said. “We must try and find shelter. I am 

f f f f f i f U 



Mary and Miss Gray were out gathering ferns. 


97 









































98 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


afraid we have come farther than I thought. 
But how quickly the storm has come up!” 

“We will go to the hollow place in the rocks 
David showed us the other day,” Mary sug¬ 
gested. “You remember. It was in sort of a 
ravine.” 

“That’s just the place,” Miss Gray cried. 
“It was in this direction, wasn’t it?” And 
they started off. They walked for a little 
while and the rain began to patter. “I was 
sure we were walking north,” Miss Gray said, 
“but it is so dark I have become confused.” 

“You mean we are lost,” little Mary said 
calmly. Mary never became excited in an 
emergency. They stood still and looked at 
each other. 

Mary dug her hands deep into her coat 
pockets and then let out a cheer. 

“Oh, Miss Gray, how stupid of me. Look!” 
She drew forth her hand and on the palm 

iifiiffti 


THE STORM 


99 


was a compass. “David gave it to me for my 
birthday,” she explained, “and made me 
promise always to carry it on tramps. And 
just when we needed it most I forgot all about 
it.” 

With the aid of the compass they found the 
hollow in the rocks and by huddling close to 
the rocks managed to keep some of the rain 
off. 

When David and his father reached Mary’s 
home they found that her father had already 
departed for the woods to see if he could find 
the wanderers. So David and his father 
started right off, assuring Mary’s mother 
that they would find them and bring them 
home safe and probably very hungry. They 
soon found Mary’s father and arranged a call 
in case either should find them first. 

David remembered the hollowed rock and 
felt sure that if they had been near enough 

f f f f i i f f i 


100 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


they would go there for shelter. By this time 
the rain had stopped and when David reached 
the hollow rock the sun came out almost as 
suddenly as it had disappeared. He spied 
them huddling close together and called 
“OOOOHH.” And Mary answered back. 
David thought Mary had never looked pret¬ 
tier than she did then. The dampness made 
her hair curl in little ringlets all around her 
forehead, and the sun shone on her as brilliant 
as could be. “Just as though he had only dis¬ 
appeared long enough to have his face 
washed,” Mary laughed. 

David gave the three bird whistles to let 
Mary’s father know they were found and they 
were soon back at Mary’s house. Mary’s 
mother gave Miss Gray some of her clothes 
to put on and Mary donned a clean gingham 
dress and they all sat down and had some of 
the nice warm broth waiting for them. 

f f f f f i f f { 


THE STORM 


101 


“Well, I am certainly thankful, David, you 
gave Mary that compass,” Miss Gray said. 
“It saved us from a good soaking. And I am 
particularly lucky, for Mary’s mother insists 
on my staying right on here over Thanks¬ 
giving. She is going to let me make a pie all 
by myself. It looks as though that compass 
pointed the way for me to have a very happy 
Thanksgiving.” 

“Hereafter,” Mary laughed, “I will call it 
my Thanksgiving compass instead of my 
birthday compass, for we are thankful, too, 
that it guided you to us.” 



blessings Shared 



i ICHARD was on his 
way to the store. 
It was cold and 
there was snow on the 
ground, but mother had 
fastened his thick coat 
with the warm fur collar 
tight around his neck. His hands, encased in 
their fur-lined gloves, were plunged deep in 
his pockets, and the earlaps of his little fur 
cap kept Jack Frost from nipping the tips of 
his ears. He liked to go on errands for mother 
and he didn’t mind the cold a bit. 

The man at the store waited on him quickly 


102 



BLESSINGS SHARED 


103 



“Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.” 


and then filled a bag with apples and nuts and 
handed it to Richard saying, “Just a little 
Thanksgiving present for you. Hope you will 
have a Happy Thanksgiving.” 

“We will,” Richard answered gravely. “My 
grandfather and grandmother are coming to 
stay with us.” 

He was about half way home when he met 
a little girl about his own size. She was cry- 

iiiiiHitt 




104 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


ing and he noticed that she did not have any 
gloves on and her little hands were blue with 
cold. Her coat was thin. Much too thin, 
Richard thought, for a cold day in the coun¬ 
try. Richard could not bear to see anyone 
cry. He stopped and asked the little girl why 
she was crying. 

“I’ve lost my money,” she sobbed. “I was 
on the way to the store to buy potatoes and 
bread and my hands are so cold that I did not 
realize the money was gone.” 

Richard remembered that one time he had 
lost money on his way to the store and he had 
gone home and told his mother and she had 
told him not to worry and had given him some 
more. So he suggested to the little girl that 
she go home and tell her mother and get some 
more. 

“But there isn’t any more at home to get,” 
the little girl explained. “It was mother’s last 

ilr *tr tt ttr fir 


BLESSINGS SHARED 


105 



dollar and we were going to have bread and 
potatoes because they are so filling.” 

“But tomorrow is Thanksgiving,” Richard 
said in surprise. “Won’t you have turkey and 
cranberry sauce and cakes and pies?” 

The little girl shook her head. “No,” she 
said, “and now we will not be able to have 

ft* ft* ft* ft* ft* 



106 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


much of anything. Mother was going to cook 
the potatoes in some fancy way she knows. 
And we had jam for the bread. And I’ve lost 
the money. We are poor, you know. We 
could not afford turkey.” 

Suddenly Richard' extended the bag con¬ 
taining his gift from the storekeeper. “Here 
are some apples and nuts,” he said. “Take 
them home with you. We have lots at our 
house. I want you to have them.” 

The little girl hesitated and then extended 
a cold little hand for the gift. 

“Oh, thank you, little boy,” she said grate¬ 
fully. 

She looked so little and cold and helpless 
that Richard’s heart felt suddenly aching. He 
pulled off his gloves and told her to put them 
on. She protested, but he insisted. 

“I can put my hands in my pockets and 
carry my bundles under my arm,” he ex- 

mi null 


BLESSINGS SHARED 


107 


plained. “Those gloves are getting a little 
tight for me anyway.” 

“Oh, they feel good.” There was a smile on 
the little girl’s face. “And now I must run 
home and tell mother that while I have lost 
the money I have found a friend.” 

“Where do you live?” Richard asked. 

And the little girl told him. Just down the 
road a ways to the Jackson place and it was 
the tiny house down the lane. And with a 
wave of her hand to Richard she was off. 

It was a very serious little boy that told 
mother all about the poor little girl and he 
wondered why mother hugged him so hard 
when he told her of the things he had given 
the little girl. 

“I don’t think I can enjoy my Thanksgiving 
dinner now, mother,” he said gravely. “I will 
be thinking about that little girl’s family.” 

“I am glad my little son is thoughtful of 

1111IIII i* 


108 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


others,” mother said. “Thanksgiving time 
is a good time to try and bring some cheer 
into the lives of poor folks. Would you like 
to pack a basket, son, and take it to the little 
girl? And I will go with you.” 

“I would love to, mother,” Richard replied. 
“And can I put one of my chocolate turkeys 
in it for the little girl? Perhaps I had better 
put in two, for she might have a little sister or 
brother.” 

So they packed the basket and went to the 
little girl’s house. When she opened the door 
for them her face was beaming. 

“Come in, little boy,” she said. “I’m so glad 
to see you again.” 

It was a very tiny house. Only two rooms 
and when the little girl’s mother came from 
the next room there was a little flaxen haired 
child trying to hide behind her skirts and at 
the same time catch a glimpse of the visitors. 

ItIHtilll 



The little girl’s mother came from the next room. 


109 










































































110 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


Mother was soon talking to the little girl’s 
mother, while Richard was proudly displaying 
the big chocolate turkeys he had brought and 
making friends with the little sister. 

On the way home Richard’s mother asked 
him how he would like to have the little girl 
and her mother and sister come to their house 
for Thanksgiving. 

“Oh, mother, can they?” he answered 
breathlessly. “Their house is so little and 
empty and cold, and ours is so big.” 

Mother told him how they were all coming 
and the little girl’s mother was going to help 
with the dinner and afterwards she was com¬ 
ing to help mother with her housework a cou¬ 
ple of times a week. 

Thanksgiving day was a very happy day 
for all the folks at Richard’s house, and the 
little girl’s family were happy and warm and 
enjoyed their dinner so much. 

illllKlit 


BLESSINGS SHARED 


111 


“Mother,” Richard said that night, “it 
makes us much happier to share our good 
things with others, doesn’t it?” 

“It certainly does, darling,” mother an¬ 
swered, “and just remember that always, son, 
and you will give happiness and thus find it 
for yourself wherever you go.” 



Thanksgiving oAcorns 



’ HE forest was very 
dense. 

It spread over the moun¬ 
tains like a great carpet. 
In summer it was a green 
carpet. In winter it was a brown, gray and 
black carpet. 

The people of the village called it Benton’s 
forest. 

This made the little folks who lived in the 
woods laugh. They laughed and chuckled 
and chuckled and laughed. For they knew 
that was not its name at all. 


112 


THANKSGIVING ACORNS 


113 


For years and years the forest had been 
known as the Chestnut Country. This did not 
mean that there were no other nuts in the 
forest, for in the silent winding stretches of 
tree-shaded paths one could find hazel nuts, 
walnuts and other nuts which little animals 
love. 

Here was the home of rabbits and bunnies, 
of foxes and chipmunks and also of squirrels. 
Good squirrels and bad squirrels; naughty 
squirrels and glad squirrels. Brown squirrels 
and gray squirrels, old white-haired squirrels 
and every other kind of squirrel. 

In a great hollow tree lived a very important 
squirrel. 

His name was Umple. His family was fa¬ 
mous throughout the forest. The name of 
Umple was well-known. It was almost as 
well-known as Smith and Jones among people. 

Umple’s father’s name was Umple-Umple, 



114 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


and his grandfather’s name was Umple-Um- 
ple-Umple. 

Umple was very good-natured. It was hard 
for anything to rumple Umple. It was not 
nearly so hard to rumple Umple-Umple and 
it was not hard at all to rumple Umple-Um- 
ple-Umple. 

Life in the forest for the little animals 
would have been very happy had it not been 
for the arrival that fall of a rich wolf named 
Ramf-Ramf. 

He took up his abode in a great cave in the 
mountains. Every once in awhile he swooped 
down through the forest and scared all the 
rabbits and the squirrels. 

Matters grew so bad that the little wood- 
dwellers were afraid to go out at night. Pinky, 
the squirrel who kept the Chestnut Restau¬ 
rant, grieved because business was so poor. 

Juxta, who kept the grocery store, stopped 



THANKSGIVING ACORNS 


115 


remaining open after five. No customers ever 
came anyway. 

And so it was with all the stores. Fern 
Path, the great shopping center, was deserted. 

In his cave in the mountains old Ramf- 
Ramf chuckled with glee. His lowest chuckle 
was a roar which alarmed all those who heard 
it. 

All the squirrels and rabbits warned their 
children not to play far from their homes. 
The squirrels were brave enough but then 
what little squirrel could stand up against the 
power of old Ramf-Ramf, the wolf? 

Many times Ramf-Ramf chased little Um- 
ple but the agile Umple was too quick for him. 
He was always able to get back to the hollow 
tree in which his family dwelt. 

Umple’s home had been burrowed so far 
down into the roots of the tree, the bad wolf 
could not get to him no matter how hard he 
tried. 



116 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


As Thanksgiving time approached, the for¬ 
est was full of excitement. 

How the forest-folk bustled about. 

There was so much to do, so much to buy. 
For once the stores were crowded. Even 
Pinky, who kept the Chestnut Restaurant, had 
no further cause for complaint. 

For the time at least the old wolf was for¬ 
gotten. The animals were all too happy to 
even think of Ramf-Ramf. And for some rea¬ 
son or other he stayed away. Perhaps he, too, 
was busy preparing for Thanksgiving. 

The nut crop was very plentiful that year. 
But acorns were scarce. Among squirrels, 
acorns are the best food for Thanksgiving. 

Acorns are to squirrels what turkey is to 
people. 

One day Umple heard of a great acorn tree 
about half a mile down the river. 

He thought it would be a wonderful thing 



THANKSGIVING ACORNS 


117 


if he could secure sufficient nuts for a Thanks¬ 
giving dinner for all the Umples. 

For the moment he forgot his fear of Ramf- 
Ramf in his desire to secure the acorns. 

It was the very opportunity old Ramf-Ramf 
was waiting for. 

He followed Umple every step of the way, 
being careful to keep himself hidden in the 
underbrush. 

Meanwhile Mrs. Umple-Umple, Umple’s 
mother, discovered that Umple was missing. 

At once she grew very much worried. 

What if old Ramf-Ramf had caught her 
baby? 

She went into the living-room in the hollow 
tree where Grandfather Umple was toasting 
his toes before the open-fire. 

“Umple is missing!” she cried. 

Umple-Umple-Umple was dozing. 

He stirred. 



118 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 



He straightened up in his chair. 

“What did you say?” he asked. 

“Umple is missing,” she repeated. 

Now Umple-Umple-Umple had the reputa¬ 
tion of being very grouchy. He was forever 
growling. But he had a kind heart. And he 
really loved his grandchild very much. 

“Let us go over to the carpenter-shop and 
tell Umple-Umple about it,” he suggested. 

So to Umple-Umple they went and told the 
dire news. 



S3 



Umple was carrying twenty acorns when he met Ramf-Ramf. 

119 




















120 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


Umple-Umple stopped his work at once. 

He took off his overalls. 

Next he commenced telephoning to all his 
friends. All the Umples were notified. The 
forest buzzed with excitement, for Umple was 
a cute little squirrel and everybody loved him. 

Not till Umple had set out on his return 
journey, struggling under the weight of 
twenty acorns, did old Ramf-Ramf make his 
presence known. 

Then he uttered a growl of glee. 

For a moment, Umple stood horrified. 
Then abruptly he dropped every one of his 
twenty acorns and darted wildly off into the 
forest. 

But old Ramf-Ramf was close at his heels. 

Little Umple had worked hard gathering 
acorns and his strength was almost gone, so 
gradually he realized that old Ramf-Ramf 
was gaining on him. 



THANKSGIVING acorns 


121 



He realized that old Ramf-Ramf was gaining on him. 


And then just as Umple commenced to be¬ 
lieve that he could not escape, the Storm King 
of the Mountains noticed his predicament and 
sent a snowstorm for Umple to hide in. 

And the Storm King froze the river so hard 
that Umple took advantage of the ice and 
skated safely home. 

That Thanksgiving was the very happiest 
known in the Chestnut country. Thirty- 
seven Umples sat down to the Thanksgiving 
dinner. They did not have acorns but they 
had little Umple with them. And they all 
agreed that the tiny little Umple was better 
than the largest acorn that ever grew. 


Cranberries for ‘Thanksgiving 



J-Twas September. Billy 
and Betty were spending a 
week in the country with 
their Uncle John. After 
breakfast one morning he 
asked them if they would like to go with him 
to see his cranberry bogs. 

“We will soon begin to harvest the berries,” 
he said, “and I would like you to see the way 
the cranberries grow.” 

It was not very far to the bogs, for Uncle 
John had a small car which he used about the 
place. The children were very much inter- 


122 




CRANBERRIES FOR THANKSGIVING 123 

ested when they saw the great bogs com¬ 
pletely covered with vines on which the red 
berries grew in great quantities. 

“They almost look as though fairies had 
made them,” Betty laughed. 

“Would you really like to know about the 
way these berries grow?” Uncle John asked. 

“Oh, yes, we would,” they chorused. 

“Well,” Uncle John began, “the first thing 
I had to do when I decided to make my bogs 
was to pick out low muddy land, grade it off 
until it was level, then ditch it for irrigation, 
also making sure that the location was near 
water so the bogs could be flooded. Later I 
will take you and show you the dam which 
controls the water. When the cranberries are 
in danger of frost or fruit insects the bogs are 
flooded in order to save the fruit.” 

“That is like giving them a bath, isn’t it?” 
Billy said gravely. 


124 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


“Six to eight inches of sand are placed all 
over the bogs,” Uncle John continued, “and 
the bogs are marked off in squares of about 
forty inches. The vines are then set out twelve 
to fourteen inches apart. These vines grad¬ 
ually spread and in about three years the bogs 
are completely covered and matted with vines. 
The bogs are sanded every year. It takes 
about three years after starting the bogs be¬ 
fore they bear the first crop of berries. 

“The vines grow about four or five inches 
high and they blossom in the spring. If both 
of you will come next spring I will bring you 
here and you will see the vines covered with 
pink and white blossoms which are very lovely 
to look at. The berry forms from the blossom, 
first green and in September the berries are 
ripe, just as we see them now. 

“They are harvested the latter part of Sep¬ 
tember or October, according to the variety 


CRANBERRIES FOR THANKSGIVING 125 



of berry, some being ready for harvesting 
earlier than others. The two principal varieties 
of berries are the Howe berry, which is the 
late berry, and the Early Black, which is the 
early berry. 

“At one time the berries were picked by 
hand or with a small machine. They are now 
harvested with a large scoop which is made 










126 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


with teeth. These teeth run through the vines, 
take the berries off and slide them into a little 
round receptacle in the back of the teeth. 
When this little receptacle is full of berries it 
is emptied into a crate. 

“The berries are then put through separ¬ 
ators which blow out the particles of vine and 
sand and most of the bad berries. Any of the 
poor berries which are not taken out by this 
process are discovered as the berries run along 
an endless belt and are removed by hand. The 
berries are then packed in crates, which hold 
about a half a barrel, and are sent to market.” 

The children had listened very intently to 
Uncle John as he talked, and when he had 
finished Betty drew a long breath. 

“Why, I never had any idea,” she breathed, 
“that it took all that time and work to give us 
our cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving and 
Christmas turkeys. I am so glad you brought 







°f cranberries for 
































128 


THE PUMPKIN PEOPLE 


us to see the bogs, Uncle, and told us all about 
them.” 

“I am, too,” Billy echoed. 

Uncle John smiled. “Well, children,” he said, 
“I am going to send your mother a crate of 
cranberries for Thanksgiving and when you 
are eating them Thanksgiving day you will 
probably enjoy them all the more now that 
you know how they are grown.” 

“And we will tell mother and father all 
about the way they grow,” Betty cried enthu¬ 
siastically. “Father knows all about the draw¬ 
ing plans to build houses and things, but I am 
certain that he doesn’t know all you have told 
us about cranberries. Why, it is a regular 
cranberry story to tell, isn’t it?” 

Uncle John smiled. “Everything that grows 
is wonderful to study and hear about and see,” 
he said, “especially when they are named Billy 
and Betty.” 













































i 





















